Sadaf is a cookbook author, food columnist, chef, and podcaster based out of New Delhi. Growing up in a close-knit Muslim family in the small town of Ramgarh in rural Jharkhand, Sadaf was fed a steady diet of food stories by his mother, aunts, and grandmothers. This upbringing led to a perennial interest in culinary tales and the origins of dishes and recipes. And his early struggles with weight set him on a personal journey of eating healthy food — without ever compromising on flavor.
Sadaf trained to be an animator before he left for Delhi, and also worked in the development sector before starting to work in restaurant kitchens. His interest in people and places led him to travel, and food became an important feature of his journeys. Sadaf founded a successful blog, which led to founding a pop-up, Bread & Better, with a friend. He now works as a culinary consultant for many leading restaurants in India like Café Lota, Triveni Café, SOHO Pizzeria, Kiara, Rivaj, and others.
Sadaf continues to explore the rich heritage of Indian food and the origins of recipes through his popular podcast, Naan Curry. He seeks out robust and rustic flavors from home chefs in the villages and towns of India, especially the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bhopal, and Delhi. Sadaf is particularly fascinated by the distinctions between Muslim aristocratic and royal cuisine from these regions, and the earthy food of coastal Muslim communities and in other parts of India.
Sadaf is the author of Daastan-e-Dastarkhan: Stories and Recipes from Muslim Kitchens, and contributed to Desi Delicacies: Food Writing from Muslim South Asia. He also dreams of documenting the tribal cuisines of Jharkhand as an homage to the place of his childhood. When he is not in the kitchen planning menus for his next pop-up or trying out long-forgotten recipes, Sadaf can be found chasing street food in the lanes of India’s cities and weaving stories around cuisine and history on heritage walks.
